Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse University, which announced in September 2011 that it would leave the Big East Conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, has already paid a portion of the exit fee the Big East required of defecting schools.

Last July, the Big East and SU agreed to a $7.5 million exit fee that would allow the Orange to leave the conference after the 2012-13 season. On July 1, 2013, Syracuse will no longer be a Big East member.

"We have paid approximately 20 percent of the total of $7.5," SU spokesman Kevin Quinn said in an e-mail. "The remainder will be paid over a multi-year period based on our agreement with the Big East."

Big East spokesman John Paquette declined to divulge any information about Syracuse's exit fee, citing the confidentiality of the agreement.

The Big East, of course, has undergone significant upheaval over the past couple years, culminating with the decision by the seven Catholic basketball schools (the C7) to break away from a league that has been guided by football decisions.

What the league might look like, who has the right to the Big East name and Madison Square Garden for its post-season basketball tournament -- all those questions still need to be resolved.